“Okay, Mama.” His voice had gone small, and something in my chest twisted.
Kane Aurelius from Ebonvale addressed Killian directly, his tone clinical. Like he was examining a specimen instead of talking to a child. “How old are you, boy?”
Killian held up four fingers. “This many!”
“Fascinating.”
“I can run really fast!” Killian offered, clearly trying to impress him. “And I can jump off the big stairs!”
“That’s great. How are you doing in your classes?”
Killian brightened. “I can burp the whole alphabet! Papa doesn’t like it but Mama thinks it’s funny.”
I pressed my lips together hard.Don’t laugh. Do not laugh. This is a formal dinner with important political allies. Do. Not. Laugh.
“Killian-”
“Wanna see?” He offered kindly.
“No, thank you,” Kane said flatly.
Killian deflated. “Oh. Okay.”
The questions kept coming. More representatives approached him, asking him things he didn’t understand, expecting answers he didn’t have.
“Do you understand what it means to be heir?”
Killian looked confused. “Um... I’m special?”
“Yes, but what are your responsibilities?”
“I gotta eat my vegetables.”
I watched the noble’s face twitch. Killian wasn’t being difficult. He was four. He didn’t understand political succession because he was more concerned with whether we’d let him have a puppy and why the sky was blue. I bit my tongue at some questions. I understood I had to let them meet the heir, but I really didn’t appreciate so many people coming to speak to him.
“I meant as future king.”
“What’s a king do?”
“Rule. Make decisions. Lead armies.”
Killian’s eyes went wide. “That sounds hard.”
“It is.”
“Can’t I just… Train a puppy?”
The noble had no idea how to respond to that. Neither did I, honestly.
Time passed, and I watched my normally bouncy, can’t-sit-still-for-five-seconds son go quiet. His enthusiastic hand gestures disappeared. His excited wiggling stopped. He answered questions in shorter and shorter sentences, his voice getting smaller each time.
Above Killian’s head, Mal’s gaze found mine, concerned. He’d noticed too.
Xander Silvermane’s voice cut through the murmur of conversation. “Human blood does dilute the purity of royal bloodlines.”
Every eye turned to me. The table went silent.
I set down my wine glass very carefully, counted to three, and reminded myself that murdering a representative would cause a diplomatic incident.
